Hitherto, stapler-type automatic suturing devices containing a plurality of staples have been employed for suturing tissues. However, when such a suturing device is applied to pulmonary surgery, etc., air leakage may occur from the sutured area. In addition, when applied to soft tissues, problems of tissue damage or tear may arise.
In order to solve the above problems, the applicant has already filed previous applications relating to tubular suture reinforcement materials to be fitted to a staple part of the suturing device, thereby preventing air leakage from the sutured area, reinforcing the area, etc. (e.g., Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 2604025; Japanese Patent Nos. 3136392, 3237749, and 3237750; Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 1997-24050, 1997-308635, 2000-157622, 2000-316963, and 2001-70433).
As other applicants' applications relating to tubular suture reinforcement materials, Japanese Patent No. 3040930 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1996-299427 can be mentioned.
The above-mentioned applications disclose a structure wherein a sheet-like material, such as a nonwoven fabric or film made of a biodegradable and bioabsorbable material, is formed into a tubular shape, or a structure wherein a nonwoven fabric made of a biodegradable and bioabsorbable material and a stretchable fabric are integrally combined to form a tubular shape. The tubular shape is obtained, for example, by a method for temporarily adhering both ends (both edges) of stacked sheet-like materials and a method for basting both ends thereof using rough stitches. More specifically, a running stitch in which the front and back sides of stacked sheet-like materials are stitched in turn can be mentioned as an example.
Temporary adhesion or basting of the sheet-like material as described above are conducted for the purpose of easily separating a suture reinforcement material that is to be removed with a lesion from a suture reinforcement material that is to be left in a human body, when the lesion is removed from the human body after the affected region has been sutured and the lesion is cut off from normal tissues using an automatic suturing device equipped with a suture reinforcement material.
However, the tubular suture reinforcement material manufactured using temporary adhesion is disadvantageous in that sheet-like materials joined by adhesion tend to separate from each other, and the tubular suture reinforcement material manufactured using a running stitch is disadvantageous in that the sewing manner requires a lot of time and skill, and removal of thread is difficult depending on the kind of sheet-like material, sewing pitch, etc.